82-year-old Mass.man killed in Albany house fire

By DAN SEUFERTUnion Leader Correspondent

ALBANY - The victim who died in a house fire Tuesday morning has been identified as an 82-year-old Massachusetts man.

Edward Dwinnell of 17 Cedar St., Framingham, Mass., was pronounced dead at the scene of the fire, a home at 69 Crossover Road, according to a press release issued by State Fire Marshal J. William Degnan and Conway Fire Chief Stephen Solomon.

An autopsy determined that Dwinnell died from inhalation of smoke and superheated gases, according to Thomas Riley, an investigator with the state fire marshal's office.

Tax records indicate the home is owned by Gregory and Annette Hines.

Dwinnell was Annette Hines' father-in-law, Riley said.

Investigators said the occupants of the home were alerted to the fire by smoke detectors when the fire broke out shortly after 8 a.m.

Annette Hines, 52, was found trapped in house, officials said. She was able to get to a second-story window where she cried out for help.

Neighborhood residents walking by heard Hines' cries for help and called 911. Arriving firefighters located Hines and rescued her from the fire, but could not save Dwinnell, Riley said.

With the help of fire department ladders, Hines was rescued and then taken to Memorial Hospital in North Conway, where she was treated for smoke inhalation.

One North Conway firefighter, Wayne McDonald, was injured fighting the fire and was taken to Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.

Riley said the cause of the fire has not yet been determined. "It's still under investigation," he said.

Authorities said the smoke detectors saved Annette Hines' life. "Please remember to check your smoke detectors to make sure they are working properly," authorities said in the release.